Candy Kashrus

Arlene Mathes-Scharf

S.M Food Science, M.I.T.

Sharon, MA

Everyone enjoys eating candy but most
of us do not think of it as a food. Since candy is totally a
man-made food, it raises many of the kashrus problems which other
foods have.

Why do candies need kosher supervision?

Most processed foods undergo many steps
in their journey from raw product to market. Beginning with
the tankers which transport the raw ingredients, possible problems
may arise. The tankers are used for both kosher and non-kosher
products and may not be cleaned adequately between use. Additionally,
the production lines need to be properly cleaned, since many plants
produce both kosher and non-kosher products on the same equipment.
Even when all the products produced at a food plant are kosher,
dairy and pareve products may be processed on the same equipment.

Fats

Reading ingredient labels of a processed
food will identify if something is not kosher, but it cannot determine
if something is kosher. Many chemicals used in the food processing
industry and in candies in particular derive at least some part
of their origin from fats, either animal or vegetable. The ingredient
label, however, would not necessarily tell you this fact. For
example, magnesium or calcium stearates are used in the manufacture
of candy tablets to prevent the product sticking to the dies.
They are produced from both animal and vegetable sources. Stearates
are also used as lubricants, dispersing agents, and anti-caking
agents in the formation and coating of tablets, and in the manufacture
of glycerides and polysorbates.1

In addition, mono- and di-glycerides,
used in many foods as emulsifiers to prevent staling in breads
and to reduce pastiness in convenience and instant foods such
as pastas, cooked cereals and dehydrated potatoes, could also
have an animal origin.

Glycerin may be made from fats or oils
which could have animal or vegetable origins or may be produced
from petrochemicals.2

Flavors

Some of the intrinsic ingredients in
foods and particularly in candies can be non-kosher. Many candies
have artificial and/or natural flavors. Since flavors provide
an essential taste, they cannot become nullified using the one
part in sixty rule (bitul b'shishim), invoking the idea that
a minute amount of a non-kosher substance in a product is not
a problem.

Some of the important compounds used
in the flavoring industry are inherently non-kosher, but can be
listed on ingredient lists as "natural flavors". For
example, civet, which comes from an Ethiopian cat, musk from an
ox, castorium from beaver, and ambergris from whales. These
are all natural but can never be kosher. Cognac oil and wine
fusal oil, which come from wine and other grape derivatives are
also used extensively in the flavor industry particularly in chocolates.
The flavor houses use many compounds together to get the effects
that they or the customer want.3 Pepsin comes from the digestive
juices of pigs and cows and has been used as a flavor in chewing
gum.4

Food Colorings

Food colorings have become a big kashrus
problem in the food industry and in candy in particular. Companies
are trying to get away from F.D.&C. Red #40 and other artificial
colors which have been shown to be carcinogenic and are expected
to be banned as was F.D.&C. Red #3. Companies are also trying
to avoid artificial colors since natural colors are perceived
to be better by the consumer. FDA regulations state "Food
additives and colors are required to be listed as ingredients...
Spices, flavors and colors may be listed as such, without naming
the specific materials, but any artificial colors or flavors must
be identified as such, and certain coal-tar colors must be named
specifically."5

Unfortunately the best red coloring
agent substituting for the artificial colors is carmine. Carmine
is extracted from cochineal, the dried bodies of the female insect
Coccus cacti L., which is found in South America and Canary Islands.6
Carmine is an extremely stable red color and it is used in many
types of products including soft drinks and soft drink mixes,
fillings, icings, fruits in syrup especially cherries, yogurts,
ice creams, baked goods, jellies, chewing gums, and sherberts.

Coloring agents with a kosher origin
may be processed with non kosher mono-glycerides or propylene
glycol to improve their functionality. Since these additives
are considered processing aids, they are not required to be listed
on the label. Grape juice or grape skin extract is also used
in beverages to provide a red to purple color.

SPECIFIC PRODUCTS

Chewing Gum

Chewing Gum is a product which raises
a number of kashrus issues. Glycerin is the gum base softener,
necessary for the production of gum base, the essential ingredient
in chewing gum and as mentioned earlier may be of animal origin.
In addition, flavorings need to be kosher certified. The national
brands of chewing gums are not kosher, but kosher products are
available.

Chocolate

Chocolates, more so than any other candy,
need to have kosher certification. European companies can use
up to five percent vegetable or animal fat to cut the costs of
cocoa butter in their product and still be considered pure chocolate.
The flavorings may also contain non-kosher ingredients such as
wine oil and cognac. If it is not labeled as pareve, some dark
and bittersweet chocolate and chocolate coatings may contain up
to one or two percent milk to enhance the shelf life and prevent
bloom, a whitening of the outer surface. The addition of a small
amount of milk is particularly prevalent in Israeli chocolates.8

Compound chocolate which is used for
coatings contains added fats which may be of animal or vegetable
origin. Cocoa drops may contain palm or cottonseed oil, which
need kosher certification, instead of cocoa fat. In addition
carob products may contain milk without being listed on the ingredients.
Most carob chips do contain whey.

Chocolate may also be processed on equipment
used previously for milk chocolate and not cleaned between batches,
so that the residue of the previous batch is still present on
the equipment. This is sometimes labeled as dairy equipment,
but to the cholov yisroel consumer, at least, such products should
signal a red flag. For all kosher consumers, chocolates processed
on dairy equipment may present a problem.

Kosher Production

Many of the kosher brands of candies
are produced as private labels by manufacturers who produce other
products to the contractors specifications. The contractor must
be very careful to ensure that its specific instructions are carried
out and must supervise the production.

Paskesz is an example of a kosher candy
company which has successfully overcome the hurdles in producing
kosher candies. According to Mrs. Schmidt, the new products coordinator
of Paskesz Candy Company, it may take a number of years from the
time they envision a product till its appearance on store shelves.
Candy manufacturers produce for Paskesz with every step of the
process under strict rabbinical supervision.
First, the manufacturer is educated
as to what kosher is and how that affects the product. Then,
the entire ingredient list, including components of flavors and
colors are examined and their sources researched by the certifying
rabbi. At the time of manufacture, the mashgiach checks out the cleaning of the machines
and the ingredients. There must always be a mashgiach present
during manufacture of the final product. Sometimes, the mashgiach
may need to lock up an essential flavor to ensure that production
does not start without him.

For candy, as for all food products,
one needs to look for the hashgacha, since the ingredient list
tells only a small part of what is involved in its manufacture.